A Sleeping Chaos in the Dark
by Le Diable
Summary: A marriage of convenience to the Holy Britannian Empire, the world's greatest superpower, a beacon of wealth and prosperity. But within the palace walls, many secrets lurk in the dark which could bring the whole world to chaos. Tianzi/Odysseus AU fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The newspapers had called it "a marriage of convenience."

Whether it was of convenience or not meant absolutely nothing to fifteen year old Jiang Lihua, Tianzi of the Chinese Federation, pride and national symbol of her country… and the unwilling bride of the whole arrangement.

She could remember Kaguya's reaction on the day the engagement was announced. The Japanese ambassador had stormed into Tianzi's bedroom with an extraordinary regality Tianzi had never seen in her, her eyes angry and determined; her mouth set in a long unpleasant line. Then it had snapped open and all of the most foul and insulting swear words existing under the sun had come screeching out of it in one long, loud, absolutely horrendous tirade. Most of her colourful language was directed at the Eunuch Generals, Britannia, and what Tianzi had originally thought was 'biscuits'. As it turned out, 'biscuits' was in the fact her fiancé, but his actual name was 'Odysseus'. Kaguya had a bit of a lisp when she yelled.

Tianzi still flushed with shame and shock when she thought about some of the language Kaguya had used that day. But she also felt a little tiny flare of warmth that twitched up the sides of her mouth.

It felt nice, that somebody cared so much.

"_This is so wrong,_" Kaguya had said about a hundred times. "_This isn't fair_."

But when had anything ever been fair, especially for her? Even Kaguya couldn't have an opinion on that one, 'cause Kaguya didn't know much about what happened behind the walls of the Forbidden City. Not that Tianzi would ever tell her – the girl had her own problems, and they were far worse than any she had ever had to put up with. No need to make your best and only friend think you're a spoilt little brat, was there?

Though, there was no point denying it. She did feel a little bit sorry for herself. Was that being spoilt?

Selfish, maybe.

The dying light of the sun was flickering through the window of the carriage as they passed through the woods. They were on the last stages of their journey, in some southern state in the Britannian mainland – the Empress's new _home_. She was sitting close to the window, her eyes fixated out the window; wide, anxious and glassy. Blurs of brown and green and grey shot by like leaping animals.

This was the first time she had ever been outside.

And it wasn't quite she had imagined or wanted it. Firstly, she would rather she could leap from the carriage and admire the beauty of the world as she saw it. Secondly, it was one thing to be finally freed from your prison by sole arrangement of _convenience to another country_, instead of compassion; and it was another thing to be escorted there by strict military personnel.

Thirdly… it would've been nice to have someone to view this world with someone by her side.

Tianzi's eyes darted sideways – a fleeting and furtive glance from beneath her eyelashes towards said 'military personnel' who sat some few metres to her left; a group of about ten colourfully and traditionally dressed Chinese Federation soldiers, whose sombre faces and dark eyes weren't quite cohesive with their beautiful dress and armour. They sat in total silence, not looking at each other.

It wasn't really the happy sending off she had perhaps not expected, but would have liked.

There was a sudden movement and she immediately locked eyes with those of the man who looked over at her. Intensely dark, shadowed… Tianzi flushed and averted her gaze in a split second.

Li Xing-ke… what was he thinking?

The carriage lurched and jolted as it came over the top of the hilly road. Tianzi glanced halfheartedly out the window and the sight made her stomach leap up through her body.

The Pendragon?

An everlasting stretch of jagged mountain across the horizon, bordering the dark flat expanse of desert, broke the glare of the setting sun, casting long orange and red shadows across the land and sky. It was breathtaking, but Tianzi didn't look twice. Her eyes were fixated in pure stupefaction at the setting in the centre of the desert. A colossal white castle, glowing pale pink by the sunset, stood proud and erect in the middle. It was like a vast wedding cake, tiered and tiered in smooth crystal-like marble. Surrounding this splendid building, miles and miles of sparkling city lights stretched out in all directions like a starry night.

She could never have imagined anything so epic in her life. The Forbidden City had _nothing _on this.

"Wow," she whispered, awestruck. "Wow!"

They descended down from the forest into the lights of the city. Tianzi was beginning to feel a little dizzy as they passed things she had never even clapped eyes on in her life. Tall, eerie churches melted into noisy, simple taverns; blocks of apartments atop of knick-knack shops and tailors; fancy-looking restaurants and streets of dark houses behind wrought-iron gates; well-dressed women clutching bags of shopping and children in rags who pushed each other to the ground.

Faces turned towards them but she couldn't make them out. Everything was blurred and loud, like she was spinning non-stop on the spot.

She only stopped blinking absurdly when the lights dwindled and the city was replaced with a long green lawn bordered by tall pine trees. Even under the darkening sky she could see rows and rows of beautiful kept flowerbeds, until they reached the edge of the trees, behind which Tianzi could see an ominous-looking white perimeter – either to keep people in or out, or both. A glint in the distance told her there was a lake near the trees.

She pulled herself away from the view and slid down low in her seat, feeling a little overwhelmed. She... she was to live _here_ for the rest of her life?

There was a small party on the steps of the approaching castle, and the nerves suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She clasped her shaking hands worriedly and felt her eyes fill up with tears, as they did – embarrassingly – when she felt vulnerable, which was most of the time anyway. One of her escort, the only female, seemed to notice her little inner panic and moved beside her.

"Mistress Tianzi," she said. "Last minute nerves?"

"I – yes, yes." Tianzi twisted the navy silk of her robe between her fingers. "I don't... I don't know what's going to happen..."

The woman squeezed her arm. "Empress, you have nothing to worry about."

"I...I don't?"

She shook her head. "Britannia's relations with our country are crucial right now. They can't afford to mistreat you."

'Mistreat' her...? What was that? Was maltreatment when they kept you confined in a castle for fifteen years, never to let you out? Never to let you have friends, or feel loved? If so, she was already used to it.

She forced herself to swallow her bitterness. She was meeting her husband and new family soon. She didn't want to start on the wrong foot. This was her new life.

And this was her...Buddha! Her _husband_!

She whipped around so fast she got a crick in her neck and pressed her face against the glass. The people on the steps, despite being so far away, all looked incredibly tall and foreboding, but indistinguishable.

She had once asked Kaguya what Odysseus vi Britannia looked like. Kaguya had paused thoughtfully and said "Tall. And broad."

"Tall" and "broad" did nothing to soothe the Empress. Not only was she the polar _opposite_ of "tall" and "broad", it only flooded her head with images of the Britannian Emperor – Charles vi Britannia – her new father-in-law. Even in pictures, the man was downright scary. Tianzi shuddered as she sat back in her seat.

"Um, lady?"

"Xianglin," the woman said. "I'm no lady."

"Xianglin," Tianzi bowed her white head. "Have...have you ever seen the man I am married to?"

"Of course," she replied. "We _are_ talking about the first born Prince of the world's greatest superpower here."

Tianzi shuddered again.

Xianglin gave her an amused look. "Shall I give you a description? So that you don't confuse someone else for your husband when we get there?" She glanced out the carriage window. "We'll get there _soon_ apparently."

"Um, yes please."

"He's a very tall, very plain looking man."

Tianzi blinked. "What? Really?"

"I thought so too, whenever I first saw him. He's certainly not as remarkable as his siblings – in looks _or _personality. He has unusual eyes, I must say."

"Unusual eyes?"

"Yes, I remember that about him." She looked at Tianzi's face thoughtfully. "You have unusual eyes too – the pair of you are meant to be!" She laughed comfortingly. "It's to be expected of royalty I suppose!"

A tiny glimmer of relief was starting to spread through her chest. There was an unspoken implication to Xianglin's words. Odysseus was plain. He was overshadowed. She would much rather spend the rest of her life in the company of a modest man than one whose confidence would smother her.

The carriage slowed to a stop. Tianzi leaned away from the window and blinked back some nervous tears. Xianglin held out her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Best thing to do is to get first impressions over and done with," she said with a comforting smile. "You'll be fine, Mistress Tianzi."

Tianzi still waited until a solid block of her escort had descended the carriage before she did. She half-crouched ridiculously behind them, trying to make herself as small as possible. The air was colder than she expected – weren't deserts supposed to be hot? – and with the pristine white palace, she felt as if she had just stepped into the lair of the Ice Queen.

Xianglin gave her a concerned look.

Buddha, she must look so pathetic.

"What is this?" A dark voice beside her asked.

She glanced between the bodies in front of her, and saw that the assembled party on the steps were all donned in servant uniforms.

The foremost servant, a strict faced woman, spoke. "We are here to accompany the Empress to an audience with his Majesties the First Prince Odysseus vi Britannia and the Second Prince Schniezel vi Britannia."

"No," said Xing-ke's swift brusque voice from the front of her escort. "We shall accompany Empress Tianzi into the palace ourselves. That is our right."

The woman's cold expression did not change. "I assure you that your presence here is no longer necessary."

"We shall remain as long as the Empress wishes–" Tianzi inched her way forward, trying to get a glimpse of the soldier's face. "–regardless of how you treat your young royalty in Britannia. We are the Chinese Federation, and our loyalties still lie with her."

"Your 'Empress' Tianzi is now subject to the law of the Holy Empire of Britannia," said the woman testily. "And she will do so as long as she still retains her marriage to the First Prince, and as long as she remains on Britannian soil." Her eyes flashed. "Which if I may add you are all doing so right now."

Before Xing-ke could reply, she caught sight of Tianzi. "Empress Tianzi, could you come with me please."

"Um..."

Before she knew what was happening, a pair of large gloved hands had grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and she found herself being physically hauled up the steps. There was a cry of outrage from behind her.

"Empress!"

"Release her this instant!" The sound of a long metal blade being unsheathed sliced through the air. "This is a gross insult to our Empress!"

Tianzi couldn't keep up with the pace of the man behind her. She stumbled through the vast doors of the palace, and nearly ended up on her hands and knees. Loud, angry voices shouted out behind her.

"Tianzi!"

She whipped her head round, but only got a glimpse of the orange sky and a flash of metal before the doors were hastily slammed shut.

Then there was an eerie silence.

Shock filled up inside of her. She stared at the firmly closed doors with her blurry gaze. Had that… just happened? So fast? So easily? It was like everything had literally just changed in the blink of an eye. This is exactly what she had feared. She was all alone now. She would have to do this all alone.

A long black shadow slid over her half-crouched frame.

"Mistress Tianzi, follow me please."

She stumbled up and tried to meet the woman's eyes, finding she couldn't. They were like two jagged stones under the cold clear sea. Tianzi pressed her lips together, trying to keep control of her wobbling chin.

She couldn't cry now. She wouldn't.

But she had never had much of control over herself, and that was no different now.

She followed the servants down the Entrance hall, feeling like a turkey being led to the chopping block. Everything around her was so tall and empty and white. Up ahead there was a set of closed doors, and foreign words in an unknown alphabet were etched into the wall above them.

They were pushed open, unbearably slowly, and her eyes fell on a long table laden with royal purple velvet in the centre of the room. Tall, broad figures in grey rose from either side, like pillars looming out of the ground.

She didn't look at them, but down at her feet, hiding her shaking hands behind her back. The servants introduced her. They pronounced her name wrong.

A few seconds passed that felt like years.

But then there was a smooth movement out of the corner of her eye, and a tall regal figure in white stepped up in front of her.

"Empress Tianzi, it's a pleasure to meet you at last." The voice was so soft and lilted; she almost forgot her dread and looked up in surprise.

Her first reaction was utter shock.

She had never seen such a beautiful person before in her life. A man with Grecian-like bone structure, porcelain skin and a crop of pale blond hair stood before her, as proud and strong as the palace around them. His eyes were cool and blue like two chips of ice, with a cold beauty that the woman servant hadn't had. Tianzi knew she was probably gaping like a fish, but she was so astounded she had forgotten all about courtesy.

_This man was her husband?_

"P-Prince Od-odysseus?"

He laughed, and the laughter didn't reach his eyes. "Lord no, I'm your brother-in-law, the Second Prince Schniezel vi Britannia." He took her limp hand and kissed it, then gestured to man who had stepped up behind him. "My brother, the First Prince Odysseus."

Tianzi looked. His appearance immediately consoled her by a fraction – though his height and the breadth of his frame was at first quite astounding. Odysseus _was_ a great deal less remarkable than his brother – his face was softer and his hair was mousy; although Tianzi could see Xianglin's point, his eyes were extraordinarily clear blue. She stared openly at him for a few moments, then, blushing at her own rudeness, curtsied hastily.

His face broke into a kind smile.

"There's no need for formalities between us, Tianzi," he said in a deep voice that suited him perfectly. "You're amongst family now."

"Indeed," said Prince Schniezel. "I hope your journey was pleasant. You've traveled a long way."

"I, um, yes."

Odysseus chuckled, and that one sound seemed to drain Tianzi's nerves away.

"You seem to understand us quite well. How long have you been learning English?"

"Er, eight years."

Odysseus's eyebrows shot up into his mousy hair. "Eight years? Wait, what age are you?"

"Um, fifteen."

"Fifteen!" he whistled. "You're tiny."

She pulled self-consciously at the front of her robe, and didn't know what to say. This man and his brother were so different to the company she had kept back in China. The atmosphere was different. It was... more pleasant, somehow.

"I thought you were only about twelve or thirteen," he continued. "Didn't they feed you back at the Forbidden City?"

"Um, no..."

He stared, and then laughed. "Didn't feed you... good one."

Again, Tianzi fiddled about on the spot and didn't know what to say. Luckily, they seemed to just brush it off as a problem of communication.

Schniezel beckoned to the servants. "You're exhausted, Empress. I think now would be a good time to let you catch up on your sleep. It's been a trying day for you, I'm sure."

He turned as some of the other men in the room approached him. They were all soldiers, judging by their uniforms, and a few of them glanced over at her as they spoke to the Prince. Tianzi watched them bemusedly, and nearly leapt out of her skin when Odysseus brushed his gloved hand against her cheek.

"Tianzi, were you crying?"

She hurriedly wiped at the light tear trails down her cheeks. "Um, no–"

"Don't be ashamed," he said. "You're young. You've left home. You're in a whole new world right now. Of course you're going to feel a little overwhelmed. The only thing I'm worried about is you not crying enough!" He laughed again, but she knew he was not being mean. "It's not healthy to bottle these things up inside."

Wanting to change the subject away from her childish tears, Tianzi quickly gestured around the room. "Were you, um, having a meeting?"

"Just about some military affairs," he said, frowning, clearly not convinced. "You arriving on the scene has made us have to seriously reconsider every step our army is going to take from now on. Some operations have had to stop. Some are going to start. I have to say, no General expected this deal to work out so smoothly."

Tianzi bit her lip. Was she being blamed for something here? There certainly seemed to be some sort of inclination, even most of it sounded like incoherent babble.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said quietly, testing the waters.

He laughed again. "Tianzi, this marriage would not have been proposed if it hadn't have been for the better wellbeing of our two empires."

_A marriage of convenience... _

She knew he was talking rubbish. She knew the whole convenience thing had been, as Kaguya had quaintly put it, 'complete and utter horseshit' from the start.

For China, their marriage had been…surrender.

"Come, Tianzi. I agree with my brother, you do look drained."

"Um, where...?"

"To your quarters. I think they're ready for you."

He offered her his arm. She took it hesitantly. He was very tall.

"We're going to take our leave, Schniezel," he called over his shoulder, when they had stepped into the hallway. "Tianzi is tired."

Schniezel turned away from his soldiers and bowed to his new sister-in-law. She didn't get to reciprocate to the gesture, as Odysseus had promptly steered her into the Entrance Hall without a second glance.

Tianzi was led up the massive grand staircase and onto the first floor. Then onto the second, and then onto the third. She glanced worriedly around her. Everything was so elegant and European. The wooden banisters were elaborately carved, the portraits on the wall must've dated back generations and generations of glamourous looking kings and queens, the chandeliers hanging from the ceilings were crystal and sparkling.

It was indeed a very beautiful palace. But for the love of Buddha, there was no way she would ever find her way around the place.

"Um," she said timidly, as Odysseus directed them down another corridor of pale faced portraits. "I... I think I'm going to get lost."

"Hm? What are you talking about, we're right here."

They had stopped outside the first door of the corridor.

Tianzi looked back at the grand staircase right behind them. Oh. That wasn't too confusing.

"You surely didn't think we'd be so cruel as to stick you deep into this maze on your very first day, did you?" He pushed the door open and steered her in.

Her eyes immediately clapped onto the four poster bed. Navy satin duvets, thick white pillows and dark red curtains. Nothing had ever looked so beautiful. Forget all the silk and flower and mountain in China, _this bed_ was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life.

Buddha, she was tired.

Odysseus had crossed to the windows and pulled closed the curtains.

"Looks like the servants have brought all your luggage up already," he said, gesturing to the all trunks against the wall. He peered at her through the dimmed light and laughed loudly, the noise nearly snapping her out of her drowsy state. "Tianzi, you look like you're about to keel over."

"I, well–"

"Say no more, I'll leave you to your beauty sleep."

He stopped at the door, his hand resting on the handle.

"It was originally intended for you to share my quarters," he said to her. "But I know that's a little bit awkward for two people who have only just met. Even though we _have_ technically been married for nearly a month now." He smirked over his shoulder at her. "Goodnight, Tianzi."

And he left her standing there, blushing like a tomato.

He was only joking around with her, but his perhaps unintentional implications ran deeper than that. In the end, they would have to share a bed. And that would most likely be sooner rather than later.

After the original shock of finding her trunks empty, she fished a white nightdress out of her chest of drawers. She slid under the covers of her bed, the cold dark satin so smooth against her skin. Her head sank into the pillows. She stared up at the canopy over her head.

Today was only the first day. It was only day one of the rest of her life in this castle.

The rest of her life with Odysseus.

She didn't know how to feel about that. He was of course kinder than she thought he would be, but to _spend her entire life with him_...

She just didn't know how to feel.

"First impressions..." she echoed Xianglin's words. "...Over and done with..."

What had become of her escort? Of Xianglin and Xing-ke?

What would become of her life now that she was so divorced from China? From everything she knew? From her _home_?

Tianzi's eyes slowly slipped shut as sleep encompassed her.

Only time would tell.

**/Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Tianzi woke up with her face full of pillow. She lifted herself up with a grimace, and twisted her head to the side.

She froze.

There was a woman in her room.

For a few moments she thought it was the scary woman from yesterday who had her physically plucked up and taken away from her escort. But then the woman set some fluffy towels on the chest of drawers, and she realised it was just a maid.

Tianzi waited, completely still, until the maid had finished what she was doing. Her unfamiliar Caucasian eyes flickered over to her many times in barely concealed curiousity, but she would look away with a blush when Tianzi met her gaze.

Nearly five minutes of this uncomfortable silence passed. When the maid eventually departed, Tianzi let herself breathe.

It would take a while before she became comfortable in this place...

She slid out of under her covers and crossed to the curtains that the maid had forgotten to open in her anxiety. She pulled the heavy dark velvet back from the windows and leaned her face close to the glass.

It was a rather beautiful view. The flower garden was not visible from where she was situated, but the lake and edge of the forest were. Black smoke rose just beyond, and if she pressed her ear against the glass, she could just about hear the echoing sound of factory mills and clanking machinery.

There was a knock on the door and she jumped, bumping her nose on the glass.

"Tianzi?"

Tianzi hurried to the door and then hesitated, all too aware of her nightwear and her tangled, messy hair.

"Od-odysseus?"

"Are you decent?"

"Um, no..."

There was chuckle, and the wood seemed to vibrate against her. "I'm not surprised you overslept. Why don't you meet me at the top of the staircase in ten minutes and then we can go down to breakfast?"

"Yes...yes, thank you..."

She wore a similar outfit to the one she wore on the journey over; crimson and navy silk top and bottoms with dark slip on shoes. She would stick out like a sore thumb amongst all the elegant European furniture and dress in the Pendragon, but she was not quite resigned to giving up her entire identification with China. Her hairbrush slid through the silvery-white strands that fell in chunky layers to her waist. She usually had help with her complicated hair arrangement, but today she had no help but her own.

The end result was... acceptable.

"As good as it can be," she mumbled to her reflection, smoothing down the front of her top.

Odysseus was already waiting for her at the top of the stairs, but she felt it would too cheesy to ask if she had kept him long.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Good morning, Tianzi," he replied brightly. He offered her his arm and she took it. She felt like a child hanging from a tree branch.

"My siblings woke early specially to meet you; they should be taking breakfast in dining hall so – Tianzi?"

Tianzi somehow lost her footing and lurched gracelessly down the staircase. She had forgotten all about her new siblings-in-law! And Buddha, she was supposed to meet them _now_?

"Um, they're downstairs... now?"

Odysseus was clearly fighting a snigger.

"Tianzi, trust me, I seriously doubt they'll have any problems with liking you."

"Um, what?"

He was positively steering her now. She looked on helplessly, trying to keep up to his massive strides or he would be dragging her. He stopped outside the dining room, the sound of mingling voices floating out through the half-open door, and gave her comforting smile.

"Don't worry," he said. "They're pleasant enough, some more than others."

And he pulled the door wide open.

Tianzi immediately shot for cover behind his broad frame without even looking inside.

Odysseus chortled and advanced leisurely into the room. Tianzi squeezed all her limbs together and crept in behind him, hoping she could just sneak by unnoticed. It was wishful thinking, as all the noise suddenly died out, and the horrible creeping sensation of a roomful of fixated eyes clung to Tianzi like soaking wet clothes.

Then someone squealed.

Lilac, red and gold assaulted her vision. Tianzi nearly squealed herself as tiny little fingers bit into her arms and round blue eyes leaned in far too close to her face.

"Brother, is _this_ the new edition?"

Tianzi leaned back to regain her bearings, and took a good look at her assailant. She was a freckled red-haired girl, barely any older than her, who was sporting a spectacular pair of gilded hoop hair accessories. She was very cute looking, and Tianzi couldn't bring herself to ask her to remove her claw-like grip on her arms.

"Yes, that is my wife," Odysseus said lazily, from where he had taken his seat at the table. "Be careful with her Carline, she's even smaller than you are."

Carline wasn't listening.

"Look at this _hair_, that's wild." Her face loomed in too close again. Seriously, had the girl never heard of personal space? "Holy Hell! Red eyes!"

"I, um–"

"When you two have children," Carline interrupted. "You better hope they get _her_ looks, right? God forbid they'll be unlucky enough to take after _you_, Odysseus."

"Um..." Tianzi started worriedly. But to her great surprise, Odysseus roared with laughter.

"Trust me, I agree with you completely."

Rather wanting to throw herself through the window, Tianzi quickly assessed the other occupants in the room. Schniezel was present, along with two others. Four. Four siblings wasn't _too _bad.

That thought was quickly squashed when one of the two others, the woman, leaned back in her seat and cast her a disdained look. "The mail order bride is finally here, eh?"

"Guinevere..." Odysseus started, his voice wary.

"What? I didn't even say anything," the woman Guinevere leered at her brother, before turning her attention back to her new sister-in-law. "So what's your name, pipsqueak? That is, can you even speak English?"

"_Guinevere_."

"Um, I'm T-Tianzi..."

"Tianzi?" Her thin eyebrows joined together to form one long severe line. "Weird."

"Ignore her, Tianzi," said Schniezel, looking up over his cup of tea. "Guinevere has a habit of treating any and everyone as if they were mere plebian." He looked his sister over. "Despite the fact she really has no room to insult anyone."

Tianzi could see Schniezel's point. Guinevere was an unusually attractive woman, with fine purple-brown hair and painted black lips. However, below the neck level it was quite a different story. She wore a dress cut so low it must've fallen at least eight finger widths from the hollow of her throat. The purple ink tattoo on her left breast didn't make it any classier an affair.

And to top things off, she raised one hand and flipped her brother off.

"Guinevere, you're so bad," Carline giggled ominously.

Schniezel ignored both of them. He stood and walked round the table to greet Tianzi, and kissed her hand like he had done when they first met.

"I hope you slept well, Tianzi."

"I did, thank you..."

"And I'm sure you have been worried about your escort, don't worry they're– Tianzi?"

Tianzi had made a sudden movement. She felt like she had been hit over the side of the head with something heavy. _How had she forgotten about her escort like that_? Especially considering the last she had seen of them was Xing-ke's sword slashing through the air towards a, while scary, completely defenseless servant woman.

"Are they, I mean, they didn't hurt anyone?"

"No, not at all," Schniezel smiled a thin smile. "We reassured them we had you in safe hands, and they eventually calmed down. They should be on the boat back to China by now."

Tianzi lowered her eyes. "I see..."

"Wait, all that raucous was _your _doing?" the final occupant eventually spoke up. Tianzi had to look him over twice to deduce his gender – he was a very pretty man with long gold-blond hair and sapphire-blue eyes. He was skinny, however, and he wore fitted clothes that showed no female attributes. Male, Tianzi nodded to herself.

"The noise those Asians were making could have woke the dead! I barely got a wink of sleep last night, my nerves were so wrecked!"

...Maybe female?

"Clovis is not a morning person," Schniezel quipped, mistaking the reason for her confused expression.

"Nor I," Guinevere muttered, flaring up a match under her nose and drawing hard on a long thin cigarette. She leaned in and puffed her foul smoke over the party, laughing cruelly as the whole table recoiled, hacking and clutching their throats.

"You are revolting," Schniezel said, turning away from her.

"Thanks little bro," the princess leered.

"Please smoke that thing _outside_, Guinevere," Clovis whined, and he actually clutched his chest as if afraid his heart was going to bounce right through it. "I do not want to be riddled with a cough like a common miner!"

Guinevere snorted derisively at him, but stood and blew one last billow of smoke over the breakfast party before stepping out onto the terrace adjoined to the dining room.

Schniezel sighed and rubbed his temple.

"I have business with Cornelia now," he muttered slowly. "As if this morning wasn't tiring enough already." His eyes slid from Tianzi, who looked as if she stood in the line of a firing squad – to Odysseus, who was surveying her over his piece of toast – to Carline, who was staring at her Chinese sister-in-law eagerly.

"Carline, leave," he said.

The redhead jumped. "What? Why?"

"_Leave_."

Tianzi was left pondering Schiezel's weird degree of ascendancy over his siblings as she watched Carline shuffle grumbling out to join her sister on the veranda. Clovis sighed dramatically and got to his feet.

"As if I didn't get the hint," he hissed at his brother, before sweeping from the room. Schniezel smiled his cold smile.

"I'm sure you'd be more comfortable eating breakfast with just your husband for now," he said to Tianzi before draining his tea and turning to his brother. "Odysseus, have you seen Cornelia at all this morning?"

"Her and Euphy went down to the lake just before we came down," he answered around his mouthful of toast.

Schniezel nodded, bowed to Tianzi and departed. Odysseus grinned at her expression. "What do you think?"

"I, um, well..."

"It'll take a while to get used to them, I know," he dropped the crust back onto the plate and wiped his fingers on a napkin. "Guinevere is impossible to be within ten feet of, but Carline and Clovis are bearable enough."

"Is it just the five of you who live here? Um, aside from the servants?"

"Hmm? No, no, I have two other sisters who live here."

Two other –! Buddha!

"So you have... _seven siblings_?" She had heard of worse, she was from China after all, but would never have believed this of the _Britannian_ Imperial family.

"Oh, more than that. Most of my father's wives live abroad and we haven't seen them in a long time," he scratched the stubble on his chin absent-mindedly. "They're more than likely to have popped out a few more brats since."

Tianzi blinked. "Wives plural?"

He looked at her blankly. "My father is a polygamist, Tianzi. You think we all came from the same mother? There's about five between us."

Tianzi reeled back. _Whhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttt!_

"Or rather, four now. Excuse me. One of them has been dead a long while."

"So, you're all... half-siblings?"

"Not entirely. Guinevere and I are whole siblings by my father's first wife, a German Duchess – that's why I'm the First Prince and she's the First Princess, because we're the oldest and our mother has good status." He began counting off on his fingers.

"Schniezel is the only son of my father's second wife, and Clovis is the only son of my father's fourth wife, Gabrielle de...something or rather, a French noblewoman. His third wife only had daughters – the first born was named Second Princess, and the second was named Third Princess. Schniezel and Clovis got the titles of Second and Third Prince respectively.

Carline has the same mother as the Second and Third Princesses, but she's the youngest, so she's further back in line for the throne. There are definitely others who'll get the throne before she will, but they live with their mothers in other palaces and Father never speaks about them."

A few minutes passed in silence as Tianzi absorbed this information. Then a few more minutes passed as she debated whether or not it was appropriate to ask the question that she was begging to ask.

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

"Your... your father is a widower...?"

"Oh don't worry about it, it wasn't any of our mothers."

"Then–?"

"Oi." Guinevere had returned. She tossed a box of matches onto the table and gestured to the terrace. "Schniezel's calling you down to the lake."

"I hope you don't mind a few more introductions this morning, Tianzi?" Odysseus chuckled. "Don't worry, the next two you'll meet are the most respectable out of all my sisters."

"Respectable – ha!" snorted Guinevere, her face twisting into an ugly expression. "I despise them both."

Tianzi blinked again, feeling like some kind of absurd owl.

"Yes, well..." Odysseus didn't even grant his sister a decent reply before steering Tianzi onto the veranda, where the crisp morning air caught in her chest and she shivered. Odysseus's hand was on the small of her back, as if afraid she would detour off on a tangent without his guidance. Carline waved from the terrace, and she waved back shyly.

"Carline has quite taken to you," he said, amused. "I'm surprised, the girl is a little monster."

"Um, she seems friendly..."

"No, that's just because she's cute," Odysseus asserted as they crunched across the dew covered lawn. "Trust me, the girl takes pleasure out of some _really _sick stuff."

Tianzi glanced back, but Carline had moved inside and she could only see a bobbing red dot through the windows. They came over the banks of the lake. It was really quite beautiful. A massive willow tree blossomed in one corner, its long leaves trailing along the water's surface. Beneath the tree on the bank, there was an abnormal splash of colour.

"Ah, there they are."

As they approached the party beneath the tree, the colours became distinguishable. There was Schniezel, along with two women. One of them jumped up on seeing Odysseus and Tianzi, one of them didn't.

Tianzi stared.

They were the most elegant women she had ever seen. The girl who stood was the younger of the two; she had long pink hair and the prettiest, kindest face Tianzi had ever seen. The woman who remained seated was older, maybe by about ten years, but the only sign of her more mature age was a deep furrow between her eyebrows. She had wavy purple hair and dark painted lips. The two sisters had identical blue eyes, though the elder of the two had a piercing gaze that she had snapped calculatingly onto the Chinese newcomer.

Tianzi once again felt like she had been hit in the face with something heavy. Carline was cute, Guinevere was attractive in a rather disgusting way, but these two women were... _bewitchingly_ beautiful.

"Brother, she's pretty!" the younger cried, bending over to examine her sister-in-law's face. She was an alarmingly tall girl. "How exotic..."

"Tianzi, this is my sister Euphemia vi Britannia, Third Princess," he announced, with a manner of pride he had not extended to his other siblings.

"Call me Euphy," the girl said, giggling.

Tianzi bowed her head (which sent her into another fit of giggles), and the other sister pursed her dark lips and said nothing.

"How are you enjoying the Pendragon so far, Sister?"

It took a good few seconds before Tianzi realised Euphemia was addressing her, and she quickly babbled out, "I-I like the palace..."

"Yes! Yes, it is rather splendid looking isn't it?" Euphemia looked up at the palace. "Yes, but I daresay it is void. We have needed more occupants for a while – how glad I am that you have joined us, Little sister!"

"You're a simple fool, Euphy," the other sister finally spoke.

She turned her head and began to speak to the willow tree. Tianzi watched her, alarmed, for a few minutes before nearly yelling when a bespectacled man in a soldier's uniform moved out of the shadows and strode back up the path towards the palace. She had been so entranced by the sisters that she hadn't even noticed him.

"Seeing as my brother hasn't bothered introducing me," the purple-haired woman said, returning her sharp eyes to Tianzi's face, "I'll just do it myself. I'm the Second Princess, Cornelia."

Tianzi bowed her head again.

"She doesn't speak much, does she?" Cornelia quipped snidely at her brother.

"Hypocrite! You're always complaining of there being too much noise," Odysseus retorted brusquely.

"That's not hypocrisy–"

"Sister," Euphemia interrupted, turning her attention back to Tianzi. "Will you join me back up to the palace? I would very much like to show you around, if you have not been already."

"I've not, no..."

"Excellent! Sister, will you be accompanying us?"

"Most likely." Cornelia pushed herself off the grass and brushed down her crimson dress, before striding off down the path without a backwards glance. This was apparently the affirmative, as Euphemia hopped from one foot to the other and again exclaimed,

"Excellent!"

"One moment, Euphemia."

Tianzi leapt a foot in the air. Buddha, Schniezel had been quiet!

The blond prince retrieved a scroll from his inside his coat and handed it to his sister. "Give that to Cornelia for me; she has obviously decided by herself that our little meeting has been adjourned."

"Of course, and I shall see you at lunch, my brothers!" She took Tianzi's wrist and, as her brother had done before, walked in paces so wide Tianzi had to jog to keep up. Odysseus's laughter floated after them, and she felt her face burn with embarrassment.

It turned out that lot of things were "excellent" to Euphemia; and Tianzi found herself greatly enjoying her company as she paraded them through the gardens, pointing out her favourite flowers and all the different breeds of butterfly. Something about the pink-haired princess reminded her of Sumeragi Kaguya, the Kyoto Six envoy who came to talk to her about potential business deals earlier that year. The talks had flopped, but she had made a friend in the pretty Japanese ambassador.

"I'll take you up to our library now – I have a 'book discussion' with Clovis! Do you read often, Little sister?"

"Um, no..."

"Not to worry, I don't either!" Euphy's silvery laughter echoed across the first floor, punctured by the click of Cornelia's heels across the exquisite tiling. The clicking stopped as Cornelia paused and glanced over her shoulder. Euphemia broke off her inquiry into the tale of _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_.

"Sister?"

"I'll leave you two to it then," Cornelia said, with an inclination of her dark head. She turned on her heel and clicked away down the Grand staircase, her long purple hair dancing down her back. As silence fell, a confused Tianzi looked round at Euphy, who shrugged her delicate shoulders.

"Cornelia does that a lot," she said. "She likes to be an enigma, I think – Christ!" She reached into the pocket underneath the folds of the skirts and produced the scroll. "I completely forgot! Ugh, now I'm going to be late for that thing with Clovis, and believe me Sister, he can be such a drama queen–"

"Um, I can take it to her if you want," Tianzi offered, not really thinking.

"Really Little Sister? Wow..." She handed her the scroll and smiled gratefully. "My brother is so lucky to have married you."

Red-faced and regretful, Tianzi trudged down the Grand Staircase and hesitated.

Why did she even volunteer? She didn't know her way around the palace, and even if she did, she didn't have the slightest inclination _where_ Cornelia would be going anyway.

There were only three doors in the Entrance Hall, which simplified matters. One was the main entrance, one went into the dining room, and the other was located at the shadows on the right of the staircase.

Tianzi eyed it apprehensively. It looked like a door that would lead unsuspecting victims down to someone's closet torture chamber or something.

The knob turned, annoyingly, and a gust of wind hit her like a bucket of ice cold water. She groaned discontentedly, not caring if anyone heard her, and stepped down into the stairway. The stone steps were so cold she could feel it through her soft slip-on shoes. She hadn't descended very far, leaning against the wall for balance, when the only light that illuminated the stairway from the Entrance Hall dimmed out, and she was left squinting through the dark.

She stopped.

She couldn't see a thing now, and she was shaking from the sub-zero temperatures that surely indicated she was some way beneath the castle. Still clinging to the wall, she hesitated, wondering if Euphemia would be too angry that she couldn't locate her sister.

"Cornelia?" she called, timidly.

Only the wail from the howling wind in the stairwell answered her. Tianzi shuddered, the cold penetrating through her clothes and skin alike. Her mind was made up. She turned cautiously and, still clinging to the wall, began to feel her way up the stairs.

She stopped, again.

_That... that was the wind, right? _

She turned her head and peered through the gloom. The wind continued to whistle eerily all around her, but she could have sworn she had heard something...something over the wind...

Or she was just crazy.

Her newly found nerves made her hurry up the stairs two at a time, stumbling through the pitch black and bruising her knees on the stone. When she finally reached the door, she slammed it hard behind her, trying to shake the feeling that something abnormal had watched her ascent up the stairway. She stared at the door, her arms wrapped around her tiny frame.

It... It had sounded like...

...Singing.

/Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

**This is Chapter 3 for A Sleeping Chaos in the Dark, a Code Geass AU fic centering around Tianzi, Odysseus, Cornelia and Xing-ke.  
**

**To all the lovely people who gave me the advice about Japanese honorifics, thank you very much! I've re-hashed most of the story, although Atrile, I would like to leave her name as 'Tianzi' for now, as it's a big part of the plot later when she eventually reveals her 'Christian' name as it were. Thank you for all your great advice, it was a very interesting read.  
**

**Chapter Three**

Tianzi had lived in the Pendragon three days when Odysseus invited her to a picnic at the lakeside. It was late afternoon and the sweltering sun was high in the sky, so they settled down underneath the shade of the willow tree. Odysseus groaned and loosened his neck tie.

"Did you ever get heat like this in China?"

Tianzi nodded. "There was drought a lot of the time..."

He whistled. "How miserable."

Tianzi twisted, trying to make herself comfortable at the base of the willow tree. The palace was right in front of her, but it wasn't particularly clever to look at it at that moment. The sunlight bounced off its pristine white surface, to the misfortune of all human corneas.

She hadn't told him about the incident in the stairway. She hadn't told anyone.

Some of her siblings-in-law (Guinevere) had already dubbed her "The Crybaby", which she knew was true enough of herself.

No need for her to be called "The Mental One", when that was only half true.

"Bread?"

"Ah, yes..."

He passed her a sizable chunk.

"Um... this is...?"

"Oh, that's cheddar."

He looked at her blank expression few moments and then laughed.

"You've never had cheese?"

"Ch-cheese?"

"Try it, its good."

She hesitantly raised the bread and its suspicious smelling friend and took a small bite. After a few chews she blanched, and her face screwed up.

_Buddha, so bitter! Bleurgh, how can anyone eat this – Oh, no, wait a moment... it's actually quite nice..._

She stared down at the morsel with wonderment.

"Told you it was good."

She nodded timidly, wolfed down the rest and accepted a second helping. As she ravenously devoured, Odysseus pulled his boots and socks off and shuffled down the bank.

"I hope you are comfortable here, Tianzi." He gestured her to sit next to him, and snorted as she stepped squarely into the shallows of the lake. "Well, you were supposed to take your shoes off..."

Her face hot, Tianzi hesitated removing her waterlogged slip-ons. What would he think if she was baring her ankles so carelessly? Feeling like an imbecile, she kicked the shoes off underwater. She didn't look at him, but she could see his shoulders shaking out of the corner of her eye.

"You're a strange one, Tianzi."

"What?"

"It's not a bad thing," He leaned back on his elbows. "I was saying; you've been here for three days now. It'll of course take more time before you see it as 'home', but I hope up to now you have been comfortable enough. I mean, evidently all of this is difficult for you – a new country, a new language, a new family... is there anything you want to talk to me about? Anything you want to ask?"

She paused. Now would be the ideal time to ask if they kept a choir in the dungeons.

"Can I ask about the lineage to the throne? After your father, that is."

"Of course!" he pursed his mouth thoughtfully. "In any standard royal family, it would be the eldest son who would take the throne. That would mean I would be Emperor after my father, after all, I am the First Prince. Then, Second Prince and second eldest son Schniezel, followed by Clovis the third eldest, and so on. Only after all the sons disappear from the lineup would the daughters even be considered. That would mean Guinevere would become Empress, then Cornelia, then Euphemia – you get the picture. Though the majority of the time only the eldest child will ever be Emperor, as then _his _children would succeed him."

"So, you'll be the Emperor?"

"No."

She blinked. "But–"

"My father is a bit on the revolutionist side," he explained. "He is very passionate about the whole concept of 'survival of the fittest'. So he's left it up to us to fight among ourselves for the throne. It is already assumed that Schniezel, though he is only the second Prince, will take the throne before I ever do – he is a born ruler; genius, conservative, ruthless. It'll never be me."

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"Are you joking? I'm relieved! I would only make a complete fool of myself. Politics just go over my head."

Tianzi stared at him.

_That's exactly how I feel about politics!_

"I-I agree with you, Odysseus."

"Hm?"

"When it came to decision making, I always second guessed myself. Or when I ever dared speak up, the Generals would talk over me like I was stupid. They all wanted war and invasion, and I wanted peace. When I asked why they wouldn't even consider it, they brushed me off and called me ignorant. Then... then they sat me down and spent hours explaining to me why that was in fact true..."

Odysseus plucked a blade of grass off his trousers.

"Some are gifted with the power to dictate, some are not. It's not a handicap either way."

"You have an answer for everything." She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Odysseus chuckled.

"You have more kick in you than I thought. I'm glad. If _this_ is going to work, we need to be at ease with each other." He squinted up at the palace. "I've been engaged before this, you know, but none of those women were ever anything like you."

"Y-you were engaged? Did you ever marry?"

"No. Those engagements were also just meagre attempts at international alliances – like ours – but they never succeeded. Clovis and Euphemia have been struck up in these deals before, but like I said, it rarely works out."

Tianzi frowned. Did the Emperor think that his children were objects? Disposable? She couldn't imagine any parent trying to marry their precious child off to strange countries to secure their own expanse of power, like pawns. She felt a little bit sympathetic, but their line of conversation reminded her of the one they had had two days ago, and now her curiousity was bubbling to the surface.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Sure."

"How did your father's wife die?"

"Oh, you mean Marianne? She was murdered."

Tianzi gasped. "What? How?"

"They said it was an attack by anti-Britannian terrorists at her Aries Palace. She was shot where she stood. Her children were executed too. That was... over ten years ago." He exhaled through his teeth. "I can't believe it's been that long."

Tianzi dropped her hand from her mouth. "How horrible, you lost siblings too?"

"She had a son and daughter, Lelouch and Nunnally. They were only little kids at the time."

As she absorbed this harrowing information, she noticed something a little unusual about his narrative. "...Why did you say 'they _said_'?"

"Well, it's rumoured that Marianne was having an affair."

"Oh..."

"Of course, those rumours sparked some conspiracy theories. A lot of people say my father might have had her killed."

"...Do you believe them?"

Odysseus paused. Tianzi noted absently that his eyes were clearer than the lake water, and just as blue. They were really quite soothing – the horrendous things they were talking about seemed to drown beneath them and fade away.

"I don't know. My father has done some terrible things."

She reached out without thinking and set her hand on his. Then she felt stupid and tried to take it back but he grasped it and held it. Tianzi's stomach leapt and she averted her eyes pointedly to some water weeds that were twisting around her ankles. A few moments passed, his massive hand encompassing her tiny one.

"You're a good person," he said, eventually.

"No," she said quickly. "I'm just–"

"You _are_ a good person, Tianzi." He stood, pulling her up off the ground. "And I think you know it."

He picked up his boots and her shoes, and climbed up the bank.

Tianzi stared after him, ankle deep in the water. She lifted her warm hand and, with wide eyes, pressed it against her even warmer cheek.

**/**

They had been met with some funny looks when they returned barefoot to the dining room. Odysseus hadn't put his boots back on. Tianzi guessed he had done that to save her from any sort of embarrassment.

It had all seemed so horrible before. Now she felt she could get used to life with this man.

He had all the ideal qualities. Kindness. Sincerity. Honesty.

He had maybe inherited his father's physical features more than any of his other siblings, but that was their only likeness. She squeezed her soaking shoes as she stepped out of the dining room. Buddha forbid in the future she would be Wife No. 1 of a long line of spouses – or worse, the wife who gets murdered because she looked strangely at another man.

She glanced up.

The door to the dungeons was ajar.

And she was through it and halfway down the stairs without thinking about it.

Buddha, curse her curiosity!

She would blame Odysseus later for filling her head up with all these conspiracies and plots. This was family with many skeletons – and Tianzi didn't bet that it ended with the Emperor's inter-marital assassinations.

She sat down on one of the steps, pulling her damp shoes back onto her feet. It was still as cold, still as dark. She didn't know what she was going to meet down here, but she couldn't allow her mind to continue imagining the worst possible scenarios any longer. She stood, her mouth pulling into a tight line.

Odysseus was honest. What about the rest of them?

She reached the end of the stairs, and as before all she could see was pitch-black. Her hand slid along the wall for balance, collecting cobwebs as she went. Her foot felt out the ground in front of her – mostly uneven stone. She nearly fell over when her hand suddenly met nothing.

She squinted. A passage? A room? A staircase?

She sat down where she stood and felt out with her feet the place with no wall. When she deduced it was a staircase, she decided for safety's sake she would shuffle her way down. The ground was wet around here and she glanced up over her head. The lake?

She had descended about twenty steps when she looked back nervously. She would be able to find her way back out here right? These steps were only about 10 yards from the staircase up, so–

"Ow!"

She had run out of step and knocked her chin on her knees by accident. She hissed and raised her hand to her mouth, her fingers feeling wetness on her lips. She tasted blood.

She froze.

There was a light at the end of the corridor.

It flickered, making the corridor look like it was moving, and it illuminated the damp, glistening walls. Tianzi got to her feet cautiously. She had come this far, hadn't she? She treaded quietly, keeping in the darkest shadows, not daring to blink. It was such a faint light, and true enough, when she reached the end of the corridor, she found it was the only candle she could see between it and the adjoining passage.

She frowned up at it, and then looked left and right at the darkness that stretched beyond. How strange, who would have lit this?

She paused, and looked over her shoulder again.

There was a mumbling coming from somewhere up the corridor.

Fear flooded through her body and she stood as still as possible, her eyes avidly searching every nook and cranny she could see.

_Where...?_

She jumped. There was a door right beside her, opposite the lit candle.

It was ajar.

She took a miniscule half step and squinted into the gap. For a few moments she couldn't see anything – there was no light but the candle behind her – but her ears could pick up the sounds of rustling fabric... and whispering. She took another half step, and saw.

A woman with long hair and a dark dress stood with her back to the door. Her skirts had been hitched up around her hips, her long pale legs visible through the gloom. There was a strong hand sliding up the naked skin of her thigh. Tianzi followed with her eyes and saw that a man stood in front of the woman. There were wet sounds, and heavy breathing, and she saw that the woman had the man's face in her hands and was passionately kissing him. One of her hands dropped from his face down between their bodies. The man groaned.

Tianzi's face burned. She stepped back, and stumbled over a loose stone in the ground.

Her long, shiny hair whipped through the candlelight.

She quickly regained her footing, but the door banged open within a second and Cornelia burst out, her face pale. She gasped.

"You!"

"Princess Cornelia, I –"

"Quiet!" She grabbed Tianzi by the wrist. "Just – ugh, get in here."

Tianzi was bundled into the room. It was tiny and hot and she found herself face to chest with the man who she vaguely recognised as the man down at the lakeside when she had first met the Second and Third Princesses. His glasses flashed in the candle light as Cornelia looked sharply up and down the corridor before she slammed the door.

"What the _hell_ are you doing down here?" she spat, still holding Tianzi's wrist. "Who sent you? Was it Schniezel? What did he say to you?"

"No, I..." she tried to wriggle her hand free, but Cornelia had a vice grip. It was actually beginning to hurt very much. "I... I heard noises..."

Cornelia's face was stark white.

"Noises? What noises?"

"I heard noises two days ago!" Tianzi's voice rose unintentionally. "I heard a strange sound–"

"Shut up! Keep your voice down, for God's sake! Are you down here alone?"

"Yes!"

"You're hurting her, Princess." The man's voice was tight, and Tianzi could feel rather than see him fidgeting worriedly behind her.

Cornelia let go of Tianzi's wrist.

"Guilford, you go back up, I'll follow soon... just... I'll sort this out... Go."

The man slipped out the door, glancing back nervously at Tianzi as he left. Cornelia half closed the door, and swore under her breath. Tianzi stood anxiously, wondering what she should say. The tension between them was thicker than butter.

"I, um, I'm sorry that I disturbed you–"

"Do you know –" Cornelia interrupted, her blue eyes piercing Tianzi's through the dark, "– what would happen, if anyone was to find out what you just saw?"

"Um..."

"I would be disgraced, my name and right to the throne stripped from me," she said, her voice curt. "And Guilford would executed without a second thought."

Tianzi blinked. "N-no! I'm not going to tell anybody!"

Cornelia laughed sharply. "You're _not_ going to tell? Why the hell would you not?"

"I, well, I'm..."

She hesitated, looking down at her clasped hands.

"...It's not my place to say what isn't my business..."

Cornelia stared. "What?"

"You and him... it's none of my business... and I would not like for you to be disgraced, or your friend executed."

Cornelia continued to stare. Then she laughed, but it was softer this time. "I don't know why, but I believe you... You Asians seem to have some sort of code of honour I never was able to understand..."

Tianzi didn't say anything. She, personally, didn't have any sort of "code of honour" – it was ridiculous to her that somebody should be_ killed_ for having a relationship, with a princess or not.

"...my brother must be relieved that he got someone like you this time."

"Huh?"

Cornelia raised her eyes. "I didn't think he'd tell you. Odysseus has had many other women engaged to him. Horrible, catty, spoiled girls who were only useful to him for one thing and one thing only–"

"No I, um, I know about those women."

"You know?"

"Yes, he told me," Tianzi said. "He told me this morning actually."

Cornelia stared very hard at her for a few moments. Then she sighed tiredly and pushed open the door. "Wait until the Entrance Hall is clear before you go out."

Tianzi slipped through the gap and made to hurry up the steps.

"Tianzi."

She looked back.

Cornelia was really an alarmingly beautiful woman – in the flickering light her face looked like the bust of an ancient goddess. The Princess pursed her mouth and said in a low voice,

"Guilford's life is resting on your word, and I expect you to keep it. If you do however decide to squeal, I assure you...I _assure_ you that you will not live another second of your life without feeling my wrath. Don't look at me like that, I know your intentions are good-hearted, but remember this...

"I don't know a lot about your life back in China, but I know what life is like here. It's a game of survival. Everyone is scheming for their own ends, eager to do whatever they can to make something better for themselves. Waiting around the corners, ready to take your deepest darkest secret and use it to strip you apart and humiliate you. This castle is not a fairytale palace; it's as much as a dungeon as the room you and I stand in right this instant.

So just you remember that, no matter how much you trust yourself, no matter how much you may trust another person, the walls will always be listening to you. So…don't you dare let me down."

**/Chapter Three**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everybody who follows this fic, thanks for the great reviews and the support :) I'm trying to get writing a bit more, as it's a nice distraction from personal crap, though I am balancing work and volunteering at the mo, as well as a few holidays. I already had this one written so I decided to get it posted now rather than later.  
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**Ry & Freehawk: **Thanks loads, hope you continue to r&r!**  
**

**'a' : **Thanks for the corrections, I'll try and edit those when I have the time and patience :p**  
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**KiraDiscordia: **Hello! Tianzi's real name is important to the plot later, you'll see if you keep reading :D Otherwise, thank you very much for your lovely review, it was bang-tidy.**  
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**Atrile: **Nice to see you again. There is a lot of light and dark in this story**!  
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**SomebodyLost: **You shall see :)**  
**

**/  
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**Chapter Four**

" '_..the highest sea cliffs in Western Europe, these beautiful coasts are the last of any land between Europe and the Americas, the ocean stretching on boundless and bare.._' oh, Buddha..."

Tianzi groaned and slumped low across the desk, her face plastering to the pages of the book she was reading. The black and white sketches of the cliffs were akin to torture. She peeled her face off the pages and slid the book across the table to where her other volumes lay.

"Little sister, I have something to tell you!"

Tianzi nearly fell out of her chair. She had forgotten about Euphemia.

"Princess Euphemia?"

"I said to call me Euphy!" Tianzi looked round as Euphemia jumped into the seat beside her, and got hit full in the face with her long pink hair.

It was early afternoon, and the two sisters-in-law were situated on the second floor of the palace library. The sun shone through the vast windows, bouncing off the white tiled floors and filling the whole room with warm pale light. Tianzi wasn't feeling quite as content she felt she should and she couldn't explain her mood. She just knew she hadn't been down at all until she had starting reading.

She shot the books at the end of the table a dirty look. Curse them!

Euphemia watched her, and laughed. "Oh dear, why do you look so grumpy?"

"I-I'm not... grumpy, that is..." Tianzi glanced absently through the window. She could see the palace gardeners flitting through the flower allotments and the rose gardens from where she sat.

"You don't seem very happy, are you reading a sad story?" Euphemia picked up the book nearest to her, stamped with the title _Emerald Isle_.

"No, no they're not sad stories," Tianzi jumped up and began hurriedly stacking the books up. "They're, um, books about places..."

"A book about Ireland makes you unhappy?" Euphemia flickered through a few pages with a frown.

Tianzi didn't say anything. The books themselves didn't make her unhappy. It was what they stood for - adventure, exploration... freedom. Something she had never had, and something she would never _have_.

It had been a far off dream back in China.

But she was as much as prisoner here as she had been back home. Whether she had a choice – and she _didn't_ have a choice – she couldn't leave her marriage. She couldn't leave the palace. She couldn't leave Britannia.

That was fate.

She gave Euphemia a strained smile. "Um, what was it you wanted to tell me, Prin... Euphy?"

Euphemia grinned. "I've finally chosen my Knight!"

Tianzi blinked at her. "Your _what_?"

"My Knight! For a Royal, they're like your personal bodyguard, the person you would entrust your life with in a heartbeat! You know how Cornelia has Guilford–"

Tianzi felt her face heat up in spite of herself.

"– and they're never apart from each other, you can tell he's completely devoted to her, his loyalty is like–"

"Uh, who, um, have you chosen?" she asked quickly, afraid even her nodding would give away their sordid secret.

"His name is Kururugi Suzaku," Euphemia chimed. "He's a good friend of mine."

"Su..suzaku?" Tianzi repeated. Her brow furrowed. Why did she feel she had heard that name before?

"He's Japanese," said Euphemia, mistaking the reason for her frown.

She nodded, still thinking. It was just in the back of her mind, that name, mentioned maybe only once or twice – maybe he had been in the papers? Was he a famous soldier?

"Although he..." Euphemia stopped talking all of a sudden, her smile dropping into a frown.

"Euphy?"

"He, um..." She paused, and then laughed. "Never mind me, Little sister, you don't want to listen to me ramble on..."

Tianzi blinked, surprised. "Um, I don't mind..."

Euphemia sighed. "It's just... Britannia is very mistrusting of Elevens, er, Japanese. I uh, I don't think my family – or my country for that matter – is going to be very happy with my choice..."

"Can... can they _stop_ him being your Knight?"

Euphemia shook her head. "No, it's all my choice. But I don't want him to be jeered, everyone looking down their nose at him at every event, until he gets sick of it and doesn't want to be my friend anymore. Even worse, I wouldn't be able to take it if somebody thinks they can, well, _remove_ him by being purposefully mean or violent..."

"Um, Kururugi Suzaku… is he happy to be your Knight?"

Euphemia looked up, beaming. "Yes! Yes, when I asked him his eyes just lit up and he smiled and told me he had never felt so honoured."

_Oh my_, Tianzi thought, trying to fight back a smile. _I wonder if this just happens when a princess chooses a Knight, they all fall in love with each other... I wonder if she knows it yet?_

"Um, I hope that you are..." she paused, wondering how to word what she was saying without making it sound like an overly dramatic romance play. "I think that you and Mr. Kururugi should, well, try to overlook all the, um, barriers that are trying to be forced between the two of you... um, it seems like he cares a great deal for you..."

The Princess looked taken aback. "You really think so?"

Tianzi nodded.

Euphemia's face relaxed slowly. "Thank you very much Empress, for listening to me waffle on, you are so kind."

She went red and clutched at her books. "You're, um, welcome..."

Giggling, Euphemia stood and smoothed out her skirts. "Who knows Sister, maybe you'll see fit to pick a Knight someday?"

Tianzi watched her leave, her long pink hair flowing down her back. A Knight? For herself? She wouldn't even know where to start.

She glanced down at the table. _Emerald Isle_ had been left open at the page with the sketch of the sea cliffs. The black and white swirls of rock and sea and sky so beautiful; so inviting and so completely out of reach at the same time.

Tianzi slammed the book shut.

**/**

She ended up spending the entire day in the library – Carline had accosted her on her way out and asked if she would join her for some, as she called it, "quiet reading time".

And after the first _hour_ of listening to the redhead rant on and on about the latest Britannian massacre in Japan, she was quite ready to fling herself through the window. It was approaching evening, and Tianzi was sure her exhaustion was displayed openly on her sagging, tired face but her sister-in-law was too caught up in her tirade that she didn't notice.

"...and they actually think their pathetic cries of 'racist!' will reach the EU, like they'd care – no one does, I'm quite glad to say. I've voiced my opinion to Father plenty of times – the whole country and the whole people should be wiped off the planet as soon as possible. I mean, they're expensive as hell and they provide _nothing_ in return – except whining and complaints. And half-assed attempts at assassination, did you ever hear what happened to Clovis? Some whacko tried to blow his head off last time we were there, shows you what type of people they are! No bloody respect for the monarch, the people who are taking the time out of their busy schedule to _rule_ their stupid ugly country..."

Tianzi nodded absently to everything she was saying, not really agreeing or understanding anything, but it seemed to satisfy her.

"The country is just a stain, don't you agree?"

Another tired nod.

"Schniezel thinks so too – _and _Cornelia _and_ Guinevere _and_ Clovis... we should have a ballot – 'Obliterate Japan" sounds pretty good to me. What do you lot in China think about Elevens?"

"Um, well–"

"I know your cultures and uh, looks, are quite similar but it's alright, your country is so much cooler than theirs," she giggled into her fingers. "At least the Chinese aren't constantly trying to blow their government up – another important point! Those damned idiots wonder why we treat them like savages, when they're so content to act like savages! I mean look at what _almost_ happened to Clovis! That nutcase is still out there, strutting around his dirty ghetto, thinking he's some kind of hero. I personally think they should smash those ghettos up and drag those terrorists out so that the whole world can see them for what they really are..."

Tianzi looked out at the darkening sky, the first few stars winking cheerfully at her from where they floated well out of ear shot of Carline. Buddha, the girl could rant!

She couldn't help the little prickling worry her words installed in her chest. The redhead had unwittingly iterated Euphemia's point over and over again – she had had every right to be anxious about her appointment of Kururugi Suzaku. There was no way the boy would be able to come to the palace and avoid contempt.

Tianzi glanced down at her folded hands. _How sad..._

Carline stopped talking and Tianzi's head shot up quickly, but the girl wasn't looking at her – she was frowning out the window.

"What time is it? I was supposed to tell you dinner will be served at six o'clock."

Tianzi looked at the old clock hanging over the library door and sighed. "It's twenty past six."

"Not to worry, we'll head down now!" Carline linked her arm and skipped her out of the library.

The dining room was filled with the smell of something rich and smoked, and all the siblings were seated at the table. Odysseus raised his hand and waved her over. Tianzi slipped into the seat beside him and whispered a soft "Hello..."

"Hello yourself, I should have known not to trust Carline with the gargantuan task of informing you of what time dinner was at." He scoffed down the table at her.

Carline stuck her tongue out at him.

"I was just about to send a maid for you actually," he said, unfolding his napkin and setting it in his lap. Tianzi noticed his plate was still clean, whilst the others were finishing off leftovers of smoky pink salmon starters.

"You waited for me? You shouldn't have..."

"No, I shouldn't have indeed," he grinned at her. "It's no worry, I don't like fish anyway."

Tianzi sat back and scanned the table. Guinevere was applying a fresh coat of black lipstick in the seat opposite her, and beside _her_ Schniezel sipped his wine and met her gaze with one of his thin smiles. Carline had settled beside the blond, leaning over the table and continuing her anti-Eleven tirade more at than with Euphemia, who was looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute. On the other side of Euphemia, Clovis stopped poking at the remainders of his salmon and shot Carline a bored look.

"I think there are more suitable topics for the dinner table than scalping Elevens," he said snippily.

"I agree," a sharp voice added from further down the table. "Carline, shut up."

Carline huffed, but did indeed shut her mouth. Satisfied, Cornelia turned back to where she was having a low conversation with a man in glasses.

Tianzi recognised him with a start as the man who she had seen with Cornelia. He had been watching her, and when she met his eye, he bowed his head politely at her. She returned the gesture, a little embarrassed, the memory of what she had witnessed a few days previously fresh on her mind. Now that she could see him properly in the light, she saw that he was delicately handsome with shiny black hair and bright blue eyes behind his glasses.

The main course was served. Tianzi ate steadily, noticing that Euphemia was not. She was poking through her green beans absentmindedly, her mouth drawn and her eyes worried. Tianzi was not the only one to notice either.

"What's wrong Euphy? You're deathly pale," Odysseus asked.

Euphemia opened her mouth but Schniezel cut her off before she could say a word.

"She probably lost her appetite after all that talk of scalping Elevens," he said, looking up slyly from his plate. "Really Carline, you should know that Euphemia would find that distressing."

"No more distressing than the idea of skinning a ham," said Carline stoutly.

"Stop it Carline," said Euphemia in a quiet voice.

"Stop what? Who cares? Elevens are nothing to get sensitive about," Carline quipped in a matter of fact sort of way.

Euphemia turned and gave Tianzi a pointed 'Didn't I tell you?' sort of look. She looked so upset that Tianzi felt her mouth snapping open, and a whole bunch of random words making a run for it.

"H-h-has anyone ever been to Ireland?"

And then she wanted to die.

Euphemia gaped at her. Then she smiled and mouthed a discreet 'thank you'. Across the table, Guinevere looked at Tianzi as if she was something unpleasant found on the sole of her shoe.

"It rains in Ireland," she said dryly, as if that was all that was needed to be said.

"I've never been to Ireland," said Schniezel, giving Tianzi an amused look. "But I've been to London once, that's quite nearby."

"What's London like?" Guinevere asked with sudden excitement. "I'd love to have a place there. Somebody could arrange for me to have Buckingham Palace – it's quite nice, a little small maybe, but much more elegant than the stinking decor in this place."

"It rains in England too," Schniezel pointed out.

Guinevere ignored this. Schniezel went on. "London has some very attractive aspects, but when I was there I saw first hand extreme poverty – like nothing I have ever seen here in America. English cities industrialised fast, and they couldn't cope with the massive influx of peasantry and so they're now rank with slums, crawling with disease and death. People die on the street and people step over them without a care because it's a daily occurrence. It's a tough life in London."

Guinevere sniffed. "I'll stay here then."

"I suspected as much," said Schniezel.

"Why don't you just try to look a little more disappointed?" she snapped back at him.

"Perhaps you will get your Buckingham Palace sooner rather than later," said Cornelia sardonically. "The EU is acting up again. They pity the Arabs and have voiced this many times."

"We don't own any of the Arab lands, why should we care?" asked Guinevere, glancing down the table at her sister.

"Most of the Arab countries are under the rule of the Chinese Federation," said Odysseus. "And that immediately concerns us, unless you have somehow forgotten..."

All eyes in the room snapped onto Tianzi, and she blushed and stared very determinedly down at her plate, as if the soggy remnants of her champ interested her far more than the current conversation.

"The Eunuchs are lenient however," said Cornelia, her expression closed. "Far _too_ lenient I should think. Their popularity is waning, and they would rather submit to revolutionaries and terrorists than attempt to fight under the name of an Empire that does not fully support them. I hear talk that Syria and Iraq are moving down the path to complete independence. At this rate, we'll be losing precious Arab resources left right and centre, which is completely negating the whole reason we had Odyss–"

"Let's not talk any more about it," interrupted Schniezel, his tone hard. Cornelia quieted down, her expression still oddly composed. Tianzi looked between the Second Prince and Princess with a puzzled face. She turned and looked up at Odysseus, who didn't meet her eye.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Carline glanced around the table with an exaggeratedly annoyed expression.

"Ooh yes let's ignore the issue of losing 'precious Arab resources', while we continue to pour millions of dollars and hours of the day into a completely resource-_less_land. Can't we just go Bloody Mary on Japanese asses and save so much time–?"

"I have an announcement to make!"

Euphemia shot up out of her chair, her eyes flashing angrily.

"Euphy?"

"I have chosen my Knight."

Guinevere looked up over her compact, frowning. Carline looked peeved that she had been interrupted so abruptly. Odysseus turned and exchanged a startled look with Tianzi who was sitting very still in her seat, waiting for the storm. Cornelia sat up and fixed her little sister with a surprised look, and Clovis raised two elegant eyebrows up into his shiny fair hair.

Schniezel's expression did not change at all. In fact he looked at Euphemia as if he already knew what was coming.

Euphemia took a deep breath. "He is Private First Class Kururugi Suzaku, an honourable Britannian and Japanese citizen who has proved his worth over and over again, and I hold no doubt whatever to his resolution to protect me and you, my family. I know you will all chastise me for my decision, but that it what it is. My decision. And I shan't change it."

She sat back down and folded her hands in her lap. Silence returned to the table.

A _short_ silence.

"An Eleven?" Carline reiterated slowly. "...In our _home_?"

"Actually he can't–"

"Are you crazy? Scratch that, have you given _no_ consideration to our safety? Think about Clovis! You think he wants one of those dirty monkeys hankering under our roof when one of them just took a shot at him–!"

"Uh, I don't really care about that..." Clovis started, but he was ignored.

"Suzaku hates violence," Euphemia said, frowning across the table at her redheaded sister.

"Oh yeah of course, that's why he joined the _army_."

"_Unlawful_ violence. Suzaku thinks everything should be done in a peaceful, legal manner–"

"Euphemia, you don't need to explain yourself to Carline," said Cornelia. "Your decision is your decision indeed, and while I don't like it myself, it will have to be endured. I know you are as stubborn as I am at times."

"Thank you, Sister," said Euphemia quietly.

Carline fumed, her face almost as red as her hair, turning bewilderedly to the man beside her for his reaction.

"Big brother," she asked. "What do you think about this crap?"

Schniezel looked at Carline and smiled one of his cold smiles. "When the time comes Carline, for you to pick a Knight, you would expect us to extend the courtesy to respect your decision, would you not?"

"But... but she picked an _Eleven, _don't you see how ridiculous that is...?"

"That's enough," he said, his voice suddenly sharp. "You are hurting Euphemia's feelings."

Carline dropped into her seat, muttering furiously under her breath, throwing the Third Princess a very ugly look.

"Thank you," said Euphemia again. "It's going to... I mean, I appreciate... thank you."

Schniezel bowed his pale head and stood. "I'm going to retire to my quarters, I suggest those of you who are less welcoming of Euphemia's decision to brood for a while alone, in silence. This is going to happen, and if I hear of any trouble I assure you now I will take whatever necessary action I see fit to resolve it."

He swept from the room. They watched him leave, not speaking and avoiding looking at each other.

"This is bullshit," snapped Carline, and she stalked out. They heard her stamping up the stairs and down the corridor of the first floor. Cornelia snorted.

"As if we have the time to deal with brats," she said to Guilford. "Especially when there are more important issues to... to _sort out_." And to Tianzi's great surprise, she looked right over at her with a frown.

Tianzi looked up at Odysseus who had not seen. He smiled coyly back down at her.

"Shall we? You look like you need some rest."

Tianzi wanted to scream. What was with all the implications and the secretive looks making her feel like somebody who was on the receiving end of an unpleasant inside joke?

"Euphy, will you be alright?"

Euphemia jumped. She had obviously been lost in thought.

"Yes," she chimed. "Yes, I'm feeling good."

"Goodnight then," Odysseus beckoned his baffled wife and they both departed the room.

"Goodnight Little sister!" Euphemia called, and Tianzi waved back in reply.

Odysseus accompanied her back to her quarters. She sat on the end of her bed and tried to ignore the squirming in her belly, the feeling she was involved in some sort of elaborate plot. She glanced over at Odysseus, who was drawing her curtains, and hesitated.

"Odysseus?"

"Yes?"

"What... what's going on?"

"Hm?" Odysseus raised one eyebrow at her.

"I feel as if everyone is holding a secret against me, or that am I being blamed for something..."

He frowned. "Who's been giving you that idea?"

"Um, Princess Cornelia and Prince Schniezel..."

"Oh!" Odysseus laughed, and the noise bounced around the room. "_Ignore_ those two. They've got military minds, and don't want to mention the Chinese Federation around you incase you get upset."

"But why _would_ I get upset? Has something happened?"

"The Eunuch Generals are just being lazy – I would just forget all about it and get a good night's sleep."

_Lazy_? Tianzi crawled under her covers as Odysseus blew out the candles on his way out. _That sounds like the Eunuch Generals, I guess..._

Not feeling entirely reassured, she lay awake for hours that night. When she eventually drifted off, her dreams were full of pastel and chiming bells, and a starry sky so beautiful she couldn't recall even that it was part of a memory so far away, deep inside her sleeping mind.

**/**

**Chapter Four**


End file.
